The "Emeritus" is Gone

To be correct, the use of the title, "Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI" is useless.  Now you say Pope Benedict XVI.  He is not Emeritus anymore, he's dead along with the title.

Pray for a Peaceful Death for BXVI

Lord, Your Servant Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, is finishing his race.  Please be at the finish line to welcome him home.  May he cross over peacefully and joyfully.  I ask this is the name of Jesus, whom Benedict has served.   

Retired pope wants his name removed as co-author of From the Depths of Our Heart

Retired pope wants his name removed as co-author of book on celibacy: VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- At the request of retired Pope Benedict XVI, his name will be removed as co-author of a book defending priestly celibacy, said Cardinal Robert Sarah, the Vatican official who coordinated the work on the book.



Yesterday, I posted an announcement of the book.  Immediately, people questioned the Pope Emeritus' role.  He is quite elderly.  How much work could he have done? 



This article explains: "Considering the polemics provoked by the publication of the book, 'From the Depths of Our Hearts,' it has been decided that the author of the book for future editions will be Cardinal Sarah, with the contribution of Benedict XVI," Cardinal Sarah tweeted Jan. 14.

"However," he said, "the full text remains absolutely unchanged."

Archbishop Georg Ganswein, personal secretary to Pope Benedict, phoned several German news agencies and spoke with the Reuters news agency Jan. 14, saying the retired pope had requested that his name be removed as co-author of the book, its introduction and its conclusion. The archbishop confirmed that the book's first chapter, attributed to Pope Benedict, was the work of the retired pope.
     Since marriage and priesthood both demand the total devotion and self-giving of a man to his vocation, "it does not seem possible to realize both vocations simultaneously," retired Pope Benedict wrote in his essay.

Pope on Social Networks

I'm happy to see the Pope tweet and on Facebook, and blogging.  All media should be utilized to promote the Good News.  But I'm glad that he's he, and not me.  I could never stand all these "hangers-on" types pulling on me.  Just look at them, in this short clip.  Don't you feel like shouting, "Leave him alone?"

Pontifex

I did it!  I finally sent a tweet to Pope Benedict XVI.

I don't really like Twitter.  There's no pictures.  There's no sentences.  (usually)  I tend to think of it as instant message but it's not because there's no give and take interaction, unless my receiver is "on."  If they are, then I switch to instant message.

Anyway, I wanted to encourage his Holiness for trying.  He is trying to reach out to people.  So I responded.

What did I tweet?  I thanked B16 for the Beatification of the Apostle of Prisons, Blessed Pere Marie Jean Joseph Lataste, op.

Mama Mia

Turn your sound up high.  You'll hear Pope Benedict say, "Mama Mia."  LOL

Why I Blog

A friend once asked me why I blog.  Off the top of my head, I blurted out, "It's my way of preaching."  Ever since then, I've brooded over my answer.  "Was that the best way to say it?"  I've asked myself that question, many times since then.  I'm still not sure.

Bishop Christopher Coyne offers a post dealing with the beginning of the Year of Faith.  In it he emphasizes Pope Benedict XVI's desire for the church to get more involved with the media, in particular, the digital media, which his Holiness calls, "the digital continent."  He quotes:

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."(Matthew 28:19-20) 

Bishop Coyne adds his own reasons to Jesus' proposal.  The good bishop says he blogs because it's his way of talking about Jesus.  He feels he's spreading the Good News, his way.   He is going out teaching and baptizing and making disciples of all nations.  And he does it his way:  

There are times when what I do in the digital media is not specifically "religious," times when I use humor, poetry, music, art, irreverence, banter, etc., as part of my presence within the digital world. I do this as a means to an end. I am trying to serve as a "bridge" between God and the human person. I want my message to be "attractive" both in the sense of being "pleasing" to others as well as "attracting" or "enticing" others to "follow" me. I want people to hear the incredibly important, life-altering message of Jesus Christ and His Church.

In order to "speak in the light" and "proclaim on the housetops," I need to go where the proclamation will be heard. Today, the digital culture is one of those places. I desire to both evangelize through and evangelize the new media digital itself. Right now, there is too much "darkness" in the new media and not enough light. By bringing the name and person of Jesus Christ to the new digital media, by proclaiming the Good News, and by being a presence of Christ and His Church in the new media, I hope to bring others to either know Him for the first time or to know Him more deeply in His Church.

Does it take a lot time and energy? Yes. Do I have to be careful about what I say and how I say it? Yes. Do I sometimes make mistakes or take things too far or offend and upset some people? Yes. Does this mean I will stop doing what I do? No, for all of us are called to . . .

Me too.  I couldn't have said it better, myself.

Why do Cardinals Wear Red?

Pope Benedict, himself, explains why cardinals wear red.

Thank you Holy Father

From this morning's Zenit:

KOREAN CHILDREN THANK POPE FOR SERVING HUMANITY

Embassy Marks Benedict XVI's 60th Anniversary With a Drawing Competition

VATICAN CITY, DEC. 21, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Three Korean children today represented their peers in thanking Benedict XVI for his love for their people, and his service to humanity.
The threesome at today's general audience gave the Pope a file containing letters and drawings by 33 of their peers, prize-winners in a competition organized by the Korean embassy to the Holy See and published in the Korean Catholic daily "Pyeonghwa Shinmun."
More than 1,200 children from all over the country participated in the competition, which was organized to coincide with the Holy Father's 60th anniversary as a priest.
According to a communique published today by the embassy of the Republic of Korea to the Holy See, the aim of the competition was "to thank the Holy Father for his tireless service to humankind and for his great affection for the people of Korea. ... This event will help the Church and society in Korea to promote the Catholic vocation, increasing the 'sensus fidei' of Korean Catholics."
During Midnight Mass, one of the children will read a Prayer of the Faithful, two will participate in the offertory, two will carry flowers to the nativity scene and two more will receive Communion from the hands of the Holy Father.

Now that's a reciprocal Christmas present.

Anton Bruckner's Te Deum Laudamus

Pope Benedict XVI praised Anton Bruckner's 9th Symphony and his "Te Deum," interpreted by the Bavarian State Orchestra and the Audi Youth Choir Academy, conducted by Kent Nagano and Martin Steidler, after attending a concert.

B16 continued praising Anton Bruckner: "Bruckner asked this beloved God to let him enter his mystery, ...to let him praise the Lord in heaven as he had on earth with his music. 'Te Deum laudamus, Te Dominum confitemur'; this great work we have just heard--written at one sitting then reworked over 15 years as if reconsidering how better to thank and praise God -- sums up the faith of this great musician."

The Pope also said that this music gives people hope and brings light and faith into our own lives. This video is not the interpretation of Anton Bruckner that the Pope was listening to. But it's as close as I could find on You Tube. There was no description just the title Anton Bruckner Barenboim 1 Te Deum.

I Resolve to Reject Hatred

"We resolve today and always to reject hatred and resist terrorism.The greatest resource we have in these struggles is faith." These are the words of the President of the USCCB, Archbishop Timothy Dolan.  The words were offered as a statement on the tenth anniversary of 9/11.  They recommit us to pulling together in faith, work, ideas, and commitment.  We can make our country and the world better.  We know we can.

The Archbishop closed his statement with a prayer, Pope Benedict XVI offered when he visited Ground Zero in 2008.

"O God of love, compassion, and healing,look on us, people of many different faiths and traditions,who gather today at this site,the scene of incredible violence and pain….

God of understanding,overwhelmed by the magnitude of this tragedy,we seek your light and guidanceas we confront such terrible events.Grant that those whose lives were sparedmay live so that the lives lost here may not have been lost in vain.Comfort and console us,strengthen us in hope,and give us the wisdom and courageto work tirelessly for a world where true peace and love reignamong nations and in the hearts of all."

Just Wondering

I was reading this article, in CNA,  on the Pope asking forgiveness for cradle Catholics for not passing on their faith.  It made me wonder about my own catechesis.

My formative years were spent in public schools.  For Sunday School, I went to the children's Mass, which was held in the basement of the church.  Adults went upstairs and we kids went down.  The entire basement church was all kids supervised by a few Notre Dame de Mure Sisters.  All I remember is the Sisters teaching us to sing the songs that went to the Mass.  They were the old Catholic hymns.

But what has me wondering was the catechesis.  We didn't have the sisters; we had high school kids.  After Mass we went upstairs.  Maybe it was girls upstairs, boys down, I really don't remember that.  But upstairs there were about 5-8 kids in a pew, with a high school kid.  Then you skip a few pews.  Then another 5-8 children with a high schooler, and it continued like that through out the church.

The lesson was to just check our memorization of the Baltimore Catechism.  I got a star if I knew it well.  I'm sure the high school kid explained it too, what else would they have done with the time?

By the time I became a high schooler, the parish had built a school, and Sunday School had moved into a classroom, taught by parents.

So...I was thinking.  Maybe the catechesis wasn't so great -- memorizing the catechism.  Maybe it was our high school teachers that were learning.  When you teach is when you learn.  


Maybe we should have the confirmandi teach catechism to the candidates for First Communion.

....just wondering.

Vacation Advice

The Holy Father offers vacation advice.   It wasn't what I expected.  It was simple and a little paragraph and easy to do.  I was expecting advice like don't go too far away from a church building because you should celebrate Mass everyday.  Bring religious DVD's, books.  In fact,  spend your vacation at a religious retreat place.
 
But it was none of that!  It was go enjoy the culture of where you are vacationing.  Uplift your body and soul by renewing and resting.  Enjoy family time.  Thank God and meditate on His goodness.  Well, it was so brief that here's its entirety.

VATICAN CITY, JULY 24, 2011 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is offering some tips on how to live one's summer holiday, says a Vatican spokesman.

On the most recent edition of Vatican Television's "Octava Dies," Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi spoke of the "brief but important suggestions" that the Pope has made over the past few weeks about vacation.

"First of all, [the Pope] invited those of us who can, to use our vacation time in a way that helps renew our relationships with others and with God," said Father Lombardi. "Interrupting the hectic and frantic pace of daily life, we can take time to dedicate ourselves to others and to God.

"The Pope even suggested we include a copy of the Sacred Scriptures in our suitcase. He also invited us to contemplate the greatness, and admire the beauty, of creation around us, recognizing in it the wonderful presence of the Creator."

"We need to observe this magnificent gift," Father Lombardi said, paraphrasing Benedict XVI, "with the same attention Jesus did. He knew how to interpret the language and signs of Creation, which is a gift we must respect, protect and care for, in the name of God, humanity and future generations."

"Finally, Pope Benedict suggested that pilgrims and travelers apply their intelligence and curiosity to discovering the monuments of the past -- witnesses of culture and faith, as he called them, examples of our spiritual roots and heritage," the priest said. "Cathedral and abbeys, in particular, are places where beauty helps us feel the presence of God and inspires us to pray for the rest of humanity, on its pilgrimage through the Third Millennium.

"The enjoyment of friendship, reading, nature and culture helps to nourish and restore our spirit. It gives us the strength to continue our journey refreshed and renewed."

  

Confession for Priest

You know how I was complaining about the Examination of Conscience for married people on my iPhone app.  It's blah.

Cardinal Sean Patrick O'Malley hears confession of a priest.

So I use the Examination of Conscience for priests.  That's the best one on my app.  Well B16 has come out with a better Examination of Conscience for Priests.  It's above whatever I could use.  So it's definitely focused on only priests and spiritual directors.

Take a look at the Table of Contents.



I. THE MINISTRY OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION
WITH A VIEW TO CHRISTIAN HOLINESS
1. Contemporary importance, moment of grace   .    .    .    .    .     8
An urgent invitation [7-8]   .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .     8
Christ’s Mission operative in the Church [9-11]     .    .    .    .     8
Opening ourselves to love and reconciliation [12-13] .    .    .     9
The witness and commitment of pastors [14-18] .    .    .    .     10
The example of the Curé of Ars [19-20]  .    .    .    .    .    .    .     12
The ministry of mercy [21-23]      .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .     14
2. Fundamental approach   .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .     15
The nature of the Sacrament of Penance [24]       .    .    .    .     15
Paschal celebration, journey of conversion [25-27]   .    .    .     15
On the journey of holiness [28-31]   .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .     16
A mystery of grace [32-35]      .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .     17
3. Some practical guidelines      .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .     19
The ministry of awakening proper dispositions in the peni- 
   tent [36-40]  .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .     19
The liturgical celebration [41-43]  .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .     20
Practical norms established by the Church: an expression of 
   pastoral charity [44-47]    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .     21
Orientation on the journey of holiness in harmony with the 
   action of the Holy Spirit [48-50]     .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .     23
Ministerial availability and fatherly welcome [51-57]  .    .    .     24
A renewed and up to date training for priests so as to be able 
   to guide the faithful in different circumstances [58-60]    .     26
New circumstances, new graces, new fervour of priests [61-63] 2

Related articles

• Catholic Church approves confession app (culturemuse.wordpress.com)

I've got that Nagging Feeling

Master General of the Dominican Order
in prayer

Since I've been praying like a pirate, I read with interest the Zenit article reflecting on "humanity's innate religious sense."  Pope Benedict urges us to spend more time in prayer, which he said was an expression of man's profound need for meaning.

B16 said if we listen in silence God will reveal Himself.  We will learn to recognize His voice and open ourselves up to a relationship with Jesus.  The Holy Father explained that man is as much a "homo religiosus," as he is "homo sapiens" and "homo faber."

I liked the part when the Pope said that prayer is a mindset, not words.  It's a way of being before God, rather than worship.  That's different.

Interestingly, the Holy Father agrees with me, that it is difficult to pray.  It can be a challenge for anyone, especially during different periods of one's life.  But it is a grace for everyone, to seek.

Pope Benedict mentioned the gesture of kneeling.  He called it a "dynamic of prayer."  It is a position of supplication, like a man asking a woman to marry him.  It's a typical expression of one seeking.

What are we seeking?  What everyone seeks -- love, relationship, a feeling of worthiness.

But I know some who would deny this "innate need for meaning."  Personally, I think they do feel that desire, but don't pay attention to it.  Like some who are sick and try to ignore it.  With grace they do seek help.

Let us pray.

Christian Manga

Jonathan Lin and his Manga Comic for WYD 2011

What is manga?

Manga is a popular, and fast spreading Japanese comic book art form.  You've probably seen it around.  It is identified by characters with large emotional eyes.  Styles can differ but the major characters are slender, expressive, and detailed.  Some good people, like Jonathan Lin, the founder of the company Manga Hero want to use manga to explain and attract people to Catholicism.

Jonathan uses manga to tell the lives of the saints and biblical characters.  And this summer Manga Hero will come out with a manga for World Youth Day.  It will be called "Habeus Papem," and features Pope Benedict XVI.  It will tell some of his life, and explain to the world who and what he is.

Because of manga, the Japanese know and respect Catholics.  Only a very small percentage of Catholics in Japan are Catholic, but they love the manga priests who are portrayed as good heroes fighting evil.  Sometimes the characters are nuns or angels, but they are portrayed respectfully and heroically.  They are usually depicted as using their faith to confront evil spirits.

Most people like the characters and stories.  The kids do, that's for sure, but adults like manga, too.  The content of the comic varies depending on the intended age.  Some are for adult audiences only.  Let us pray that this new art form, "Manga Comics," draws people to want to learn more about God and His people.

Catholic Calendar

The address to view each day is www.xt3.com 

Lent = Spiritual Path

During the general audience, the Pope explained that Lent is a spiritual path.

eLumen

I've been thinking about what I posted, yesterday.  I don't mean whether or not I have more virtual friends, than real.  I'm thinking about the Pope's message for World Communication Day.  I'm examining how I communicate.  That line of thinking brought me to the newsletter I am blessed to edit, eLumen.  eLumen is the newsletter sent out for the Lay Fraternities of Saint Dominic, in the eastern US (Province of Saint Joseph).  And I came to realize that eLumen does all that the Pope recommends.  Do you think he reads eLumen?

Pope Benedict XVI's  message is entitled, Truth, Proclamation, and the Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age.  You can find the entire text on the Vatican Archive Site: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/communications/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20110124_45th-world-communications-day_en.html

B16 encourages Catholics to get involved in the internet. ( Are not we Dominicans encouraged to stay alert to the times in order to preach the Good News?)  Throughout the entire message, the Pope highlights the tremendous potential of the internet, its benefits and risks.  An example of one benefit would be the way eLumen gives witness, in the life of Christian internet newsletters.  B16  asks all Catholics to use this new technology and take what is good from it. 

I would like then to invite Christians, confidently and with an informed and responsible creativity, to join the network of relationships which the digital era has made possible. This is not simply to satisfy the desire to be present, but because this network is an integral part of human life. The web is contributing to the development of new and more complex intellectual and spiritual horizons, new forms of shared awareness. In this field too we are called to proclaim our faith that Christ is God, the Saviour of humanity and of history, the one in whom all things find their fulfilment (cf. Eph 1:10). The proclamation of the Gospel requires a communication which is at once respectful and sensitive, which stimulates the heart and moves the conscience; one which reflects the example of the risen Jesus when he joined the disciples on the way to Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-35). By his approach to them, his dialogue with them, his way of gently drawing forth what was in their heart, they were led gradually to an understanding of the mystery.

eLumen has brought the Lay Fraternities of Saint Dominic, and its many friends, into a new phase of Dominican life – the digital phase.  eLumen allows us to come together in an “e-chapter,” where we share our thoughts and prayers, and communicate along the lines expressed in the Holy Father’s message. 

Kinda makes me proud.  

Virtual Friends v. Real Ones

St. Francis de Sales 

St. Francis de Sales is the patron saint of journalists and modern media.  Today, his feast day, the Holy Father talked about modern communication, specifically the internet.  He must read my blog.  ;-)

This is the 45th message on World Communications Day.  The title is "Truth, Proclamation, and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age."  The full text can be found on the Vatican's Document Site.

I found it interesting that it is noted that the internet is altering not only the way we communicate, but how.   The language is changing.  The speed of a message may alter situations.  The potential for spreading the Gospel is exciting.  Yet, like all good things, there is danger.  There are also those that spoil the "good thing."  IOW, words can hurt and tone can affect the meaning.  Besides, there's always the danger of living your life on the internet.  The internet can be a giant time waster.  Some people may have more virtual friends than real ones.

Yikes, last time I looked, I had over 700 Facebook friends.  Do I have that many real friends?

I dunno.

But B16 is a FB friend.

Related articles

• Jan. 24 brings feast of St. Francis de Sales, patron of Church unity (catholicnewsagency.com)
• "The Social Network," B16 Edition (whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com)